Rotary engine.



PATEN-TED JAN. 3, 1905. B. ESTBY.

ROTARY ENGINE.

APPLIGATION FILED 21:11.26, 1904.

2 sums-MEET 1.

6% TTOHNEY ,iff 1 W/TNESSES.' MZ,

No. 779,400. PATBNTED JAN. 3, 1905. B. ESTBY. ROTARY ENGINE.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 26, 1904.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

A TTOHNEY UNITED STATES Patented January 3, 1905.

BERNARD ESTBY, OF NORMAN, IVASHINGTON.

ROTARY ENGINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 779,400, dated January 3, 1905.

Application filed February 26,1904. Serial No. 195,896.

T0 all 111710111/ it may concern:

Be it known that I, BERNARD ESTBY, a citizen of the United States of America, and a resident of the town of Norman, in the county of Snohomish and State of Vashington, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Rotary Engines, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in rotary engines; and its object is to provide a simplified and inexpensive reversible motor of this class which is economical in the use of steam and powerful in action.

With the above and otherl objects in View the invention consists in the novel constructions and arrangements of parts as disclosed on the accompanying drawings, set. forth in this specification, and succinctly pointed outin the appended claims.

Vith reference to the drawings filed herewith and bearing like reference characters for corresponding parts throughout, Figure 1 is a vertical transverse section of the engine, and Fig. 2 is a vertical longi tudinalsection of the same.

This engine includes a cylindrical casing 1, consisting of a tubular section 2, having suitable legs, as 3, and provided with a pair ofports tat one side and a pair of ports 5 at the opposite side, and heads 6, conveniently fastened to the ends of the tubular section and provided with suitable hubs 7, arranged concentric with the bore of said section and adapted as journals for the main shaft, as 8. Fitting' loosely within this casing and secured to shaft8isacarrier 9, consisting of a hub 10, extending into radiating arms 11, carrying a rim 12 of considerably less diameter than the bore of said casing, and heads at the ends of the rim which extend beyond the periphery as opposite iianges 11i, which are of suitable diameter to tit freely within the casing 1. In the outer ends'of arms 11 are radially-disposed pockets 18, consisting of rectangular recesses which open through the rim and are adapted to receive.

piston heads 15, consisting of rectangular plates, and in the ends of these pockets are arranged opposite guides 16, which extend outwardly from the pockets to the peripheries of the flanges 14 and fit in suitable radially-disposed slots formed in the inner side surface of said head and are formed with grooves 16 in the inner faces to slidably receive the edges of the piston-heads. Suitable coiled springs, as 17, are arranged inthe base of the pockets to yieldingl y press the piston-heads outwardly and normally hold them with the outer side edge in slidable contact with the inner surface of casing 1, and these springs are placed about radially-disposed pins 19, secured at one end in the base ofthe pockets andiiitting at the opposite end in apertures formed in the piston-heads of suitable diameter to allow said heads to slide freely on the pins.

Between the ports 4 is a stationary abutment 20, comprising' a radially-disposed rectangular plate which is secured to the casing 1 and formed with a groove in the ends and inner side edges in which suitable springs, as 22, are secured and arranged to press outwardly on suitable packing-strips,I as 23, disposed in said groove and lying in contact with vthe rim 12 and inner side surface of the iiange 111, and thereby prevent steam from passing.

Between the ports 5 is a stationary abutment 20', similar in construction to abutment 20 and having springs 22 arranged thereon to press outwardly on packingstrips 23', which lie in contact with the carrier 9 and prevent steam from passing.

Secured to casing 1 at each side and at each end of the abutments 2O and 20 are tracks 24, which serve to force the piston-heads 15 into respective pockets 18 as the carrier rotates, and thereby clears them of the abutments. rI`he tracks comprise substantially triangularshaped sections of thin plate curved along the perpendicular in conformity with the bore of casing 1 and disposed with the base ends resting against the sides of respective abutments and the outer side faces fitting against the inner side surfaces of the flanges 14 of the carrier 9, and the hypotenuses oractive surfaces of these plates are preferably concaved slightly and extend from the inner su\ face of casing 1 to the inner edges of respective abutments. In the present instance these tracks are formed with lianges 25 along the perpendicular at the outer side, and they are secured in place in the bore of casing l by means of cap-bolts 26,

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passed through the wall of said casing and engaged with said flanges adjacent the apex of the tracks, and suitable recesses are formed in the wall of the casing to receive the outer end portion of said flanges, so as to bring the active surfaces of the plate fiush with the inner surface of the casing at the apexes.

In the peripheries of flanges 14 of carrier 8 are formed suitable annular grooves 28, and packing-rings 29 are fitted to said grooves and secured to the wall of casing 1, so as to keep the motive fiuid from escaping from between said heads to the space in casing l at the sides of the carrier.

The ports 4 and 'are controlled by independent twoeway valves or the like, as 27, each having an exhaust-passage and a livesteam passage, so that motive fluid can be admitted and exhausted relatively to either side of the abutments 2O and 21, and thereby made to operate the engine in either direction, as desired, and also with a double head of steam, as will be understood from the following.

An operation of the engine, briefly stated, would be as follows: Motive fluid entering the casing' l through the port at the right of abutment 20, Fig. 2, would act upon the piston-heads 18 successively at the right of' said abutment and be directed for discharge by abutment 20/ through the port at the right thereof, and when desired to operate the engine-in the opposite direction the motive fluid is admitted through the port at the left of abutment 2O and discharges through the port at the left of abutment 20', and if desired to operate the engine'under a double head of steam the valves 27 are set to admit steam at the top of the engine at one side of abutment 2O and at the bottom at the opposite side of abutment 20', the steam exhausting through the other two valves.

This engine is simple and inexpensive of construction, has few parts likely to get out of order, and requires but a limited number of packing-strips or the like.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States of America, is

l. In a rotary engine; the combination of a cylindrical casing having a pair of ports for ingress or egress at opposite sides, acarrier rotatably mounted in said casing and having opposite annular flanges on the periphery and radially-disposed pockets between said flanges, spring-pressed piston-heads slidably mounted in said pockets and fitting between said flanges, a radially-disposed abutment secured to said casing' `between the ports comprising each of said pairs and fitting between said flanges, and opposite tracks for said heads at each abutment extending from the inner edges of said abutments to the inner surface of said casing.

2. ln a rotary engine; the combination of a cylindrical casing having' a pair of ports for ingress or egress at opposite sides, a carrier rotatably mounted in said casing and having opposite annular fianges on the periphery and radially-disposed pockets between said fianges, spring-pressed piston-heads slidably mounted in said pockets and tting between said fianges, a radially-disposed abutment secured to said casing' between the ports comprising each of said pairs, and opposite tracks for said heads at each abutment consisting of substantially triangular-shaped plates secured to said casing with the hypotenuses extending from the inner edges ofsaid abutments to the inner surface of said casing.

3. In a rotary engine; 'the combination ofa cylindrical casing having a pair of ports for egress or ingress at opposite sides, acarrier rotatably mounted in said casing and having opposite annular flanges on the periphery and radially-disposed pockets between said flanges. spring-pressed piston-heads slidably mounted in said pockets and fitting between said flanges, a radially-disposed abutment secured to said casing between the ports comprising each of said pairs and fitting between said flanges, and opposite tracks for said heads at each abutment consisting of substantially triangular-shaped plates concaved along the hypotenuses and secured to said casing with the concaved edges extendingI from the inner edges of said abutmentsI to the inner surface of said casing.

4. In a rotary engine; the combination of a cylindrical Casin-g having a pair of ports for ingress or egress at opposite sides, a carrier rotatably mounted in said casing and consisting` of a hub extending into radiating arms having pockets in the outer ends, and a rim having opposite annular flanges on the periphery, piston-heads slidably mounted in said pockets and fitting between said flanges, springs in said pockets yieldingly pressing said heads outwardly, an abutment secured to said casing' between the ports comprising each of said pairs and fitting between said flanges, and opposite tracks for said heads at each abutment extending from the inner edges of said abutments to the inner surface of said casing.

Signed at Granville, in the Yukon Territory, this 13th day of January, 1904.

" BERNARD ESTBY.

Vitnesses:

DAVID ENNIS, P. H. PETERSON'.

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